Dr. Kathleen Victoria Kilway

Department Chair and Professor of Chemistry

Links

Contact

Current Research Interests

Our current research is broken into three major topics: (a)
host-guest chemistry (b) selective synthesis of nanotubes and
(c) hydrogen bonding. One of our research interests is the
synthesis and physical studies of novel macrocyclic host-guest
systems. Design of tailor-made hosts for the selective binding
of guests (i.e. anions, cations, and neutral molecules) is essential
for understanding bonding and general processes in chemistry. The
two types of hosts that we will center our efforts on are the
azacalixarenes and carcerands. Both compounds are of interest
because they each have lone pair electrons and the possibility of
forming charged species. In both of those cases, the hosts would be
able to bind a wide variety of guests. We have already synthesized
several benzoethers. These compounds will be used in preliminary
host-guest binding studies using NMR spectroscopy and also as
building blocks for more complex host systems. Once the initial
host-guest work is finished, this system will be adapted to
investigate electron transfer between two metal centers in presence
and absence of guests.

The second major research area is the selective synthesis of
nanotubes. Control of the size and type of nanotube formation is
an area of great interest which has not been addressed previously.
Nanotubes fall into three different types, arm-chair, zigzag and
chiral. The tubes themselves consist of a hollow cylinder with an
end cap consisting of hexagons and 6 pentagons. In order to
understand and tailor nanotube formation, we propose to synthesize
customized end caps and use them to selectively nucleate the vapor
phase growth of tubes. Using the basis of previously synthesized
curved aromatic compounds, we will modify these units and submit
them to the nanotube conditions. In this way, we as organic chemists
use thermodynamics to drive their formation rather than a single
atom approach. This will enable us to use these large molecules as
microscopic building blocks for the development of new organic
materials.

Another of our research interests is hydrogen bonding. It
has been accepted that the hydrogen bonding in acid salts of maleic
and phthalic acids are intramolecular even in aqueous solution. The
experimental evidence for intramolecular hydrogen bonding is based
on X-ray, IR and NMR data. While a proton shift of 20 ppm is
considered indicative of strong hydrogen bonding, no one has
discussed whether the downfield shift is a proximity effect. It is
assumed that the hydrogen bond within the COO---H---OOC moiety has
to be linear. This is impossible for most diacids due to steric
constraints. We are currently investigating this effect for
intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding using NMR
spectroscopy and theoretical methods.

Current Educational Interests

I am currently a Co-Director of an Eisenhower Grant in
collaboration with the Kansas City, Missouri School District, UMKC
School of Education, and UMKC College of Arts and Sciences. The
project is a one-year institute for middle and high school science
and math teachers from the Kansas City, MO school district in order
for the participants to develop inquiry-based teaching methods. I am
the staff development specialist and major facilitator of the
two-week workshop.

I am also developing a multimedia approach toward learning organic
chemistry. Among students, there is often a negative feeling towards
organic chemistry due to preconceived opinions, difficulties with
problem solving, spatial deficiencies, and inadequate vocabulary. In
order to improve both the overall attitude toward and understanding
of organic chemistry, a multimedia approach will be used in the
classroom. Supplemental material (i.e., course outlines, quizzes,
example exams) will be available on the world wide web. This
approach will empower the students with the knowledge that they are
indeed in charge of their own education.
See courses website.